After a very even first half, Liberty (13-3, 5-0 CUSA) created separation from Sam Houston (9-7, 1-4) after intermission to seize control of the game and pull away for the team’s seventh straight victory, 82-74. The Flames have now won 7 straight including its first five in conference play. It’s the first time Liberty has gotten out to a 5-0 start in league play since the 2021-22 campaign when the Flames were in the ASUN. Liberty is also 3-0 on the road in conference play. Entering Saturday, CUSA teams were 20-4 at home in conference games.
“Road wins are hard to come by and to get two of them, we are blessed,” said Liberty head coach Ritchie McKay following the win. “But we are one quarter of the way through the conference season.”
JJ Harper and Zach Cleveland provided most of the offense for the Flames in the opening half, scoring 22 of the team’s 34 points before intermission. Harper was very active on the offensive end, knocking two three-point shots while making four of his six shot attempts in the first half. Their offensive output helped offset a cold first half for Liberty’s two leading scorers, Brett Decker and Kaden Metheny. Decker and Metheny combined for just 2 points on one of nine shooting in the opening half.
Decker would quickly change that in the second half, scoring a bucket at the rim on Liberty’s opening possession. He scored 9 points in the first 8 minutes of the second half to help the Flames begin to stretch its lead. A 14-4 run helped extend the lead to double figures at 13. The lead would get to as high as 17 before the Bearkats cut into the deficit in the closing minutes.
Zach Cleveland led the Flames with a career-high tying 23 points on 11 of 16 shooting to go along with 10 assists and 7 rebounds. JJ Harper scored a Liberty high 20 points on 7 of 10 shooting. Decker finished the game with 16 points. Josh Smith added 8 while Colin Potert scored 7 and Zander Carter had 6. Metheny was held to just 2 points on 1 of 7 shooting and 0 for 4 from three.
Liberty shot 56.9% from the field and 6 of 18 (33.3%) from three. The Flames also made 18 of 23 (78%) from the free throw line. The Bearkats shot 43.5% from the floor and 9 of 24 (37.5%) from three. They opened 5 of 7 from behind the arc before resorting back to the mean.
The Flames made 29 buckets on 22 assists while finishing with 12 turnovers. The Bearkats won the rebounding battle, 37-23, and held an 11-4 edge in second chance points thanks to a 14-2 advantage in offensive rebounds.
“We kept them off the glass in the second half, which is really important to our cause,” said McKay. “Then, we took advantage of the way they were playing us. We have a group that is super fun to coach. Their success is not in the outcome, but in the process. They enjoy journeying together.”
Liberty improves to 5-2 all-time against Sam Houston, including a 4-1 mark since the two teams joined Conference USA. The Flames have won 5 out of 6 in the series.
The Flames return home this week for two straight at Liberty Arena beginning Thursday night at 6 p.m. against New Mexico State in a game that will be televised on CBS Sports Network. The Aggies are currently 9-5 on the season and 2-2 in conference play ahead of their game on Saturday at home against Middle Tennessee. Liberty concludes its brief home stand Saturday against UTEP.
